Saturday, April 13th, 2013

Less than two weeks until the 2013 NFL draft, we are in an unusual situation: the draft board has not gotten a whole lot clearer than it was a few weeks ago. That said, speculation is running more rampant than ever.

In this mock draft, I continued to look at how recent trades and free-agent signings have affected teams’ draft strategies, while projecting four possible first-round trades that shook up the draft order.

The New England Patriots are among the teams in a different situation in this mock draft. With the Patriots likely to be giving up their third-round draft pick for wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, they would address their position of greatest need but also lose a valuable selection, leaving them without any picks in Rounds 3-6. With just two picks in the 2013 NFL draft before Round 7, the Patriots are among the teams who could make a deal before making any picks at all.

Wednesday, March 20th, 2013

One of the year’s biggest pro days took place Tuesday at Florida State. The pro day was streamed on ESPN3, and there were more than 50 NFL scouts, coaches and executives in attendance representing all 32 teams, according to the broadcast.

The New England Patriots are clearly among the teams with an interest in at least one Florida State prospect, as offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was in attendance Tuesday.